Imaging technologies are used for multiple purposes. One purpose is to non-invasively diagnose patients. Another purpose is to monitor the performance of medical procedures, such as surgical procedures. Yet another purpose is to monitor post-treatment progress or recovery. Thus, medical imaging technology is used at various stages of medical care.
The value of a given medical imaging technology depends on various factors. Such factors include the quality of the images produced (in terms of resolution or otherwise), the speed at which the images can be produced, the accessibility of the technology to various types of patients and providers, the potential risks and side effects of the technology to the patient, the impact on patient comfort, and the cost of the technology. The ability to produce three dimensional images is also a consideration for some applications.
Different types of medical imaging technologies have different strengths and weaknesses with respect to the above-listed factors. Typically, the speed of a particular imaging system, and therefore its usefulness in various time-constrained environments such as emergency rooms, is compromised as the resolution is increased. For instance, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide high resolution images of various types of tissue, but is generally very slow, and suffers from other drawbacks including high cost, loud noise, and the use of potentially harmful magnetic field strengths. In contrast, conventional medical ultrasound imaging is implemented with less expensive equipment which produces images more quickly than MRI. Yet, the resolution of conventional ultrasound imaging is typically less than that of MRI, and the type of data collected is different.
Conventional techniques for producing three-dimensional images involve imaging multiple two-dimensional cross-sections, or “slices” of a volume to be imaged, and then stacking the distinct images of the slices together. Such techniques provide a limited interpretation of a three-dimensional object. Moreover, at least some such techniques require the mechanical scanning of the imaging device over the area of interest, which adds substantially to the time required to collect the data for the image. Accordingly, what is needed, for example, is an imaging technology that produces high resolution, volumetric three-dimensional images in a short time.